Delicatessen owner blasts ‘arrogant and ill informed’ neighbours who complained about her wealthy customers landing their helicopters outside her store

The boss of a luxury deli has described neighbors who complained about wealthy customers arriving by helicopter as ‘arrogant and uninformed’.

Janie Thompson has defended the right of her wealthy clients to arrive by helicopter after local residents claimed they were repeatedly disturbed by the noise of helicopters delivering food to Thornham Delicatessen in Norfolk’s exclusive seaside village of Thornham.

Ms Thompson, the company’s owner, applauded the complainants and said: ‘I’m amazed at how much excitement our helicopters are causing. We love hosting them here, we love hosting people, people from afar and local people.

Describing his critics as ‘arrogant’ and ‘misinformed’, he said: ‘Anyone might think running one of these businesses would be easy but it’s not. ‘We treat everyone who walks through the door as if they are doing us a favor.’

‘We do a lot for our locals. I’m sorry if this has upset a few people but I’ve been really encouraged by all the positive comments and encouragement we’ve been given as a business because we work so hard.

‘If people knew me they would know how hard I work and what we do for the local community.

‘We have remained open for local people throughout Covid. ‘We love our locals, they love us, we go on first-name terms with many of them.’

‘Of course there’s a lot more going on at Thornham than just complaining about it. ‘They need a life.’

Local residents have claimed they have repeatedly been disturbed by the noise of helicopters bringing diners and shoppers to Thornham Delicatessen in Norfolk’s exclusive seaside village of Thornham.

Ms Thompson’s remarks came after seven helicopters descended on the field behind the shop, dubbed a “helicopter deli” by some locals, on the morning of Saturday, October 11, so that the pilots and their passengers could meet for brunch at a fancy restaurant.

Flight data shows the plane flew from origin points in Bedfordshire, near Chelmsford, Essex, and Chatham, Kent, landing at around 9.30am in the village, which is home to a traditional chippy that Prince William and Kate used while staying at their Sandringham home.

Ms Thompson proudly shared pictures of the helicopters on the store’s Facebook page with the message: ‘Just an average deli breakfast. ‘With an ordinary helicopter flight.’

He added: ‘What journey are you going on; straight to brunch or straight to the sky? Comment where you would fly if brunch came with a boarding pass’.

It was later revealed that villagers had complained to Thornham District Council about the number of helicopters landing at the one-stop deli, restaurant and lifestyle store, which describes itself as the ‘place to be’ on the waterfront.

Parish, borough and borough councilor Andrew Jamieson said: ‘Residents have increased the landing and take-off of helicopters behind the Deli, citing noise pollution; They fly low over houses, playgrounds and lounges, and there is no one to supervise the landings with dogs and children around.

‘We agreed at the district council that we should liaise with the landowner to review the landing figures and ensure adequate safety assessments have been carried out.’

Pictured is a helicopter landing outside Thornham Deli

Ms Thompson, a previous winner of Channel 4’s Four in a Bed reality show for bed and breakfast owners, also insisted the flights were not a regular occurrence.

He said: ‘It happens once in a blue moon. It probably happens ten times a year and it’s normally a helicopter.’

Ms Thompson added that the helicopters had permission from the landowner to fly and that the area was private, meaning no one should be in the area when planes were landing or taking off.

He doubled down on his comments in another Facebook post after concerns about helicopters appeared on the front page and in a double-page story in the Eastern Daily Press.

In the message, accompanied by an image of three emojis showing a strong and powerful bicep, he wrote: ‘Front page and centre. Confirmation: TD (Thornham Deli) welcomes ALL customers, regardless of their means of transport, local or remote – whether it’s just for a newspaper, a coffee or a full English – we welcome everyone.’

But his comment sparked an angry response, with one Facebook user commenting: ‘I will definitely not be coming back. Your unpleasant response to your neighbors’ comments and your ‘strong arm’ sounds a lot like bullying. ‘Helicopters frightened children and dogs and created chaos last weekend.’

Another added: ‘Why are you celebrating a ‘strong arm’ when there’s an article about your neighbours’ unhappiness? Not a great answer. It’s not the ‘They need to get a life’ comment either. Not very good PR for you. It was very disappointing.”

Ms Thompson insisted the flights were not a regular occurrence

A third said: ‘My husband and I were customers sitting outside at the back of the Deli when two helicopters landed a few weeks ago. They settled quite close together, so not only was it very noisy, but we had to cover our drinks and food to prevent leaves and other debris from spoiling our brunch.

‘As a result we left earlier than planned. ‘We felt helicopters could land on the other side of the pitch so as not to spoil the experience for other diners.’

Others were more sympathetic, with one person saying: ‘These helicopters are no more annoying than the USAF/RAF jets screaming over the village. I like to see the helicopters come and go. We’re not too far from the deli and that’s okay with us!’

Another said: ‘At least they’re spending money in Norfolk…’ and a third said: ‘Looks like someone’s jealous as the helicopters only make noise for about 2 minutes when they take off and leave so quickly. It brings income and prestige to Thornham.

The delicatessen’s Facebook page includes many photos of helicopters taking off and landing at the site in recent years.

A post accompanying a picture of three helicopters in August 2019 said: ‘Who needs a car park – helicopter vibes’, while another post showing a red helicopter taking off in May 2021 said: ‘Here you are after a quick lunch. ‘Up, up and away’.

A third post from February 2023, showing four helicopters on the field, read: ‘WOW, we’re talking about having a start-up this semester. ‘What’s your favorite helicopter colour?’

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) states that unlicensed airports, including helicopter landing pads, must provide a ‘safe operational environment’.

A spokesman said: ‘Helicopters will need permission from landowners to land at the location shown and pilots will need to demonstrate good airmanship for the safety of third parties.

‘There is no limit on the number of landings at a private site, but if a landing site is used regularly this may become a matter of local authority planning permission.’

A West Norfolk Council spokesman said they had not received any noise complaints about the flights. They added: ‘If a complaint is received we will be happy to investigate.’